PhoneDog - Anna Scantlinhttps://www.phonedog.com/tags/anna-scantlin
enHow long does the phablet trend have left?https://www.phonedog.com/2014/11/25/how-long-does-phablet-trend-have-left
<div class="field field-name-field-blog-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img src="https://www.phonedog.com/sites/phonedog.com/files/styles/blog_entry/public/blog/main_image/2014/11/galaxymegamain.jpg?itok=_qSE-SiD" width="728" height="400.5" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><span>Looking back at the size trends in mobile is kind of a funny looking roller coaster. You had huge phones in the 80’s and 90’s, then heading into the early 2000’s you had a race for the smallest phone. Remember </span><em>this</em><span> little cutie </span>patootie<span>?</span></p>
<p><img alt="It's so small!" class="image-blog_entry" height="409.5" src="/sites/phonedog.com/files/styles/blog_entry/public/blog/content_images/2014/11/pantechc300.gif?itok=ET13vPYP" width="728" /></p>
<p><span>That's the </span><a href="/products/pantech-pg-c300">Pantech C300</a><span>. A phone that size worked out pretty well for people who just wanted to make calls, text, or take tiny pictures. Of course, heading further into the latter half of the 2000’s you’ll eventually run into this beauty:</span></p>
<p><img alt="" class="image-blog_entry" height="546" src="/sites/phonedog.com/files/styles/blog_entry/public/blog/content_images/2014/11/stevejobsiphone.jpg?itok=y6DDwgRI" width="728" /></p>
<p><span>... which changed just about everything. Yes, the </span><a href="/products/apple-iphone">Apple iPhone</a><span> was, comparatively speaking, </span><em>huge</em><span> when compared to how hard companies had been working over the past several years to make small phones the next “big” thing, but a phone with a 3.5-inch screen wasn’t impossible to grasp. In fact, according to former Apple CEO Steve Jobs, a 3.5-inch screen was the “perfect” size for one-handed use - so while the phone may have been big in comparison, it was still useable with one hand, which was still important. At least at the time.</span></p>
<p><span>Jobs, back in 2010, went even further to say that “no one’s going to buy” big phones, particularly aiming the statement towards Samsung, who was steadily starting to increase screen size little by little, taking advantage of a feature that Apple never seemingly wanted to integrate. In fact, many Android manufacturers were taking advantage of Apple's confidence in its 3.5-inch screen size. HTC, Motorola, Sony, LG, and Samsung were all making flagship Android devices with bigger screen sizes than Apple’s iPhone, and it was paying off rather well for them.</span></p>
<p><span>This is a trend that continues even 4 years later. Smartphone screens have become so large that a new term has been coined for the behemoth smartphones, “phablets”, which is appropriate given that the size of these phones are somewhere in between smartphone and tablet-sized.</span></p>
<p><span>The first </span><span>phablet</span><span> to really garner any attention (and ridicule) was the Samsung Galaxy Note. Many had speculated that the Note was so large that it could never make it past its niche market, which was another wrong prediction. The Galaxy Note, </span><a href="/products/samsung-galaxy-note-4">now in its fourth generation</a><span>, is one of the most highly anticipated yearly releases in the smartphone industry. Perhaps even more surprising is that the Galaxy Note is no longer the device with the largest screen size anymore. For that, you can look at the 7-inch </span>Huawei<span> </span>MediaPad<span>, the 6.44-inch Sony </span>Xperia<span> Z Ultra, the </span><a href="/products/samsung-galaxy-mega-63">6.3-inch Samsung Galaxy Mega</a><span>, the 6.1-inch </span>Huawei<span> Ascend Mate 2, or even the 6-inch Nokia </span>Lumia<span> 1520. Each of these phones have a screen that measure larger than the 5.7-inch display on the Samsung Galaxy Note 4.</span></p>
<p><span>And with smartphones having officially crossed the line with a 7-inch screen, which </span><em>is</em><span> tablet territory, I have to wonder just how much longer </span>phablets<span> will trend before the train turns around.</span></p>
<p><span>As you can see, for the past several years manufacturers have been selling the “bigger is better” slogan by releasing such large smartphones - even Apple eventually changed its mind. But phones can only get so large before people really start to see them as ridiculous. Even some of the larger models, such as the Samsung Galaxy Mega, aren’t exactly top sellers (which might have something to do with the lackluster specs as well, but I feel like the extra large screen size is also a key factor). It just seems like companies have run out of room. Nobody can brag that they have the “biggest screen size” in a phone anymore - really, anything beyond a 7-inch screen is a tablet with phone capabilities, and it’s all been done before.</span></p>
<p><span>Because of this, I feel that change is imminent; I feel that soon it’s going to be all about who can fit the best specs and most features in the smallest shell - and still make for a good smartphone.</span></p>
<p><span>Obviously, we’re not going to be able to replicate something like the </span><span>Pantech</span><span> </span>C300<span>. That phone was made before web-browsing, social media, apps, etc. were features in a phone. However, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a phone with a 4-inch display, or even slightly smaller, with powerful specs sometime in the future. I think it’s going to be a race back down to the bottom for a lot of manufacturers. If you can’t claim to be the biggest anymore, what </span><em>can</em><span> you claim?</span></p>
<p><span>To be the smallest, of course.</span></p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog-prod-ref field-type-node-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/products/apple-iphone">Apple iPhone</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/products/samsung-galaxy-note-4">Samsung Galaxy Note 4</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/products/samsung-galaxy-note">Samsung Galaxy Note</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/products/pantech-pg-c300">Pantech PG-C300</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/products/samsung-galaxy-mega-63">Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/products/huawei-ascend-mate2">Huawei Ascend Mate2</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog-com-ref field-type-node-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/manufacturers/samsung/products">Samsung</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/manufacturers/apple/products">Apple</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/manufacturers/htc/products">HTC</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/manufacturers/lg/products">LG</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/manufacturers/sony/products">Sony</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/manufacturers/motorola/products">Motorola</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/manufacturers/huawei/products">Huawei</a></div></div></div>Tue, 25 Nov 2014 21:10:54 +0000Anna Scantlin55601 at https://www.phonedog.comhttps://www.phonedog.com/2014/11/25/how-long-does-phablet-trend-have-left#comments2014 Black Friday Smartphone Sales Guidehttps://www.phonedog.com/2014/11/23/2014-black-friday-smartphone-sales-guide
<div class="field field-name-field-blog-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img src="https://www.phonedog.com/sites/phonedog.com/files/styles/blog_entry/public/blog/main_image/2014/11/Black_Friday_Shopping_lines.jpg?itok=UKiXwX4U" width="728" height="480" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>Immediately following the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday this week in the U.S. is another type of “holiday” that many people look forward to all year: Black Friday. Black Friday is the name of the day that unofficially starts the holiday shopping season, where retail stores by and large <em>majorly</em> slash prices of popular products for a few days. Included in the price slashing fun would be what we’re all here to read and learn about: smartphones.</p>
<p><span>Smartphones can get pretty expensive. Even with a 2-year contract you could be spending upwards of $300 for certain devices - that’s a big chunk of money! As a person who is a total sucker for sales, I like to scour the Black Friday and Cyber Monday ad deals for anything good. This year, I’ll be providing a quick rundown of some of the best deals I’ve found through the ads. Are you ready? Here we go!</span></p>
<p><span><strong>Updated 11/27</strong></span></p>
<h2><strong>Verizon Wireless</strong></h2>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.jdoqocy.com/click-7675391-12023385" rel="nofollow">Free Samsung Galaxy S5</a>: </strong>The Samsung Galaxy S5 is free with a 2-year agreement from Verizon Wireless on Thanksgiving and Black Friday only. This is a killer deal.</p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.jdoqocy.com/click-7675391-12023382" rel="nofollow">$100 Off All Android Smartphones</a>: </strong>Verizon is offering <span>$100 Off All Android Smartphones! New 2yr activation req’d. Plus, Free Overnight Shipping! Offer valid until November 30th.</span></p>
<p><span><a href="http://www.jdoqocy.com/click-7675391-11990088" rel="nofollow"><strong>$150 Bill Credit for Switching to Verizon</strong></a>: Get $150 credit for each smartphone line you switch to Verizon. Bill credit applied within 2-3 cycles. Limited time offer.</span></p>
<p><a href="http://www.dpbolvw.net/click-7675391-12023387" rel="nofollow"><strong>Free Ellipsis 8 Tablet</strong></a>: Free Ellipsis 8 Tablet with new 2yr activation req’d. Plus, Free Overnight Shipping!</p>
<h2><strong>T-Mobile</strong></h2>
<p>T-Mobile is always doing a good job of letting their customers know that they’re appreciated. They even recently gave away free tablets to their customers (which you can still ask for in a T-Mobile store!). However, they also have a couple of neat Black Friday deals for their customers as well:</p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.jdoqocy.com/click-7675391-12010353" rel="nofollow">Samsung Galaxy S5</a>:</strong> $150 off</p>
<p><a href="http://www.jdoqocy.com/click-7675391-12010350" rel="nofollow"><strong>Samsung Galaxy Note 3:</strong></a> $100 off</p>
<p>It’s not much, but this is one of the better Note 3 deals out there.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.dpbolvw.net/click-7675391-12008632" rel="nofollow"><strong>$48 off Sony Xperia Z3</strong></a>: Waterproof Sony Xperia Z3 $0 down + $26x24/mo. (If you cancel wireless service, remaining balance on phone becomes due.) Qual'g service plan required. Total $630, 0% APR O.A.C. for well qualified buyers. Free shipping where available. 4G not available everywhere. Limited time.</p>
<h2><strong>Amazon</strong></h2>
<p><span>The nice thing about these Amazon deals is that you don’t have to deal directly with the crazies that go Black Friday shopping - you know, the ones that will push your mama down for 60% off of a throw rug? But since Amazon is online shopping only, the only problems you might run into are web traffic. Here are some of the best deals I’ve found through Amazon:</span></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dmobile&amp;field-keywords=lg%20g3&amp;sprefix=lg+g3%2Cmobile" rel="nofollow">LG G3</a> &amp; <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Dmobile&amp;field-keywords=htc+one+m8&amp;rh=n%3A2335752011%2Ck%3Ahtc+one+m8" rel="nofollow">HTC One (M8):</a></strong><span> $0.01 with a 2-year contract</span></p>
<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/BlackBerry-Passport-Factory-Unlocked-Smartphone/dp/B00NET0PVI" rel="nofollow"><strong>BlackBerry Passport:</strong></a> $499</p>
<p><span>Amazon also has lightning deals going on all throughout the week, so you might find a surprise or two there, but these are the two biggest finds that I could come across when it comes to planned sales - especially the BlackBerry Passport. That’s slashing the price by $200, and the phone gets such rave reviews that it’s a very tempting purchase.</span></p>
<p> </p>
<h2><strong>BlackBerry</strong></h2>
<p><span>Speaking of BlackBerry, you can also find the same $499 deal on BlackBerry’s own store - <a href="/2014/11/22/blackberry-passport-z30-get-price-cuts-ahead-black-friday">along with another great deal for the BlackBerry Z30</a>. At BlackBerry, you can find:</span></p>
<p><a href="http://shop.blackberry.com/store/bbrryus/en_US/pd/productID.307766800" rel="nofollow"><strong>BlackBerry Passport:</strong></a><span> $499</span></p>
<p><a href="http://shop.blackberry.com/store/bbrryus/en_US/pd/productID.298806900/pgm.95404400/ThemeID.32403100/Currency.USD?utm_source=blackberry_blogs_consumer&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=dv|pp_black_friday|engagement|na|nov222014|" rel="nofollow"><strong>BlackBerry Z30:</strong></a> $225</p>
<p><span>These deals aren’t too shabby at all, considering these are what the full price of the phones will cost you. No 2-year contract necessary here.</span></p>
<p> </p>
<h2><strong>Wal-Mart</strong></h2>
<p><span>Wal-Mart has some pretty good deals, especially if you’re looking for a new iPhone:</span></p>
<p><a href="http://www.walmart.com/cp/black-friday/1076614" rel="nofollow"><strong>Apple iPhone 5s (16GB):</strong></a><span> $0 down (qualified buyers) or $79</span></p>
<p><a href="http://www.walmart.com/cp/black-friday/1076614" rel="nofollow"><strong>Apple iPhone 6 (16GB):</strong></a> $0 down (qualified buyers) or $179</p>
<p><a href="http://bfads.net/Black-Friday/Walmart/Ad?page=34#viewer" rel="nofollow"><strong>Verizon Wireless Moto G:</strong></a> $39</p>
<p><a href="http://bfads.net/Black-Friday/Walmart/Ad?page=34#viewer" rel="nofollow"><strong>AT&amp;T Tribute GoPhone:</strong></a><span> $39.99</span></p>
<p><span>Both of the iPhone deals come with a $75 Wal-Mart gift card. You can also get up to an additional $200 Wal-Mart gift card if you trade in your current smartphone.</span></p>
<p><span>Wal-Mart has many electronic deals, but these were definitely the ones that stood out to me the most. The iPhone deals are probably some of the best that you’ll find, as it’s hard to come across really good discounts on <a href="/2014/11/21/apple-drops-patent-troll-act-so-what-does-mean-us">Apple</a> products.</span></p>
<p> </p>
<h2><strong>Best Buy</strong></h2>
<p><span>Best Buy has some iPhone discounts of their own, but it has a catch: although the ad claims that you can pick up a </span><span>16GB</span><span> iPhone 6 for $99, you’ll need to have an old iPhone to trade in in order to get that price. Still, if you have an old iPhone to trade in, then Best Buy might not be a bad idea. Best Buy also has a fantastic deal on the Virgin Mobile HTC Desire 510.</span></p>
<p><a href="http://www.bestbuy.com/site/misc/black-friday/pcmcat225600050002.c?id=pcmcat225600050002" rel="nofollow"><strong>Apple iPhone 6:</strong></a><span> $99 (with qualifying iPhone trade-in)</span></p>
<p><a href="http://www.bestbuy.com/site/misc/black-friday/pcmcat225600050002.c?id=pcmcat225600050002" rel="nofollow"><strong>Virgin Mobile HTC Desire 510:</strong></a> $29.99</p>
<p> </p>
<h2><strong>Target</strong></h2>
<p><span>Target had a couple of notable sales that they’ll be hosting on Black Friday, most notably one of the Samsung Galaxy S5:</span></p>
<p><a href="http://pressroom.target.com/news/target-announces-biggest-most-digital-black-friday-ever-with-more-ways-to-save-throughout-november" rel="nofollow"><strong>Samsung Galaxy S5:</strong></a><span> $0.01 (2-year contract) for Sprint, Verizon, and AT&amp;T customers</span></p>
<p><a href="http://pressroom.target.com/news/target-announces-biggest-most-digital-black-friday-ever-with-more-ways-to-save-throughout-november" rel="nofollow"><strong>Virgin Mobile Kyocera Hydro Vibe:</strong></a> $29.99</p>
<p> </p>
<h2><strong>K-Mart</strong></h2>
<p><span>K-Mart has some of the best prepaid smartphone deals going on during Black Friday weekend, and since not everybody needs or wants to be on the big four, I feel that they’re important to include as well:</span></p>
<p><a href="http://bfads.net/Black-Friday/Kmart/Ad?page=40#" rel="nofollow"><strong>TracPhone LG Fuel:</strong></a><span> $9.99</span></p>
<p><a href="http://bfads.net/Black-Friday/Kmart/Ad?page=40#" rel="nofollow"><strong>Net10 LG Optimus Dynamic II:</strong></a> $19.99</p>
<p><a href="http://bfads.net/Black-Friday/Kmart/Ad?page=11#viewer" rel="nofollow"><strong>Boost Mobile LG Volt:</strong></a> $39.99</p>
<p> </p>
<h2><strong>Microsoft Store</strong></h2>
<p><span>Well, we’ve pretty much had discounts for everybody - except for Windows Phone users - but you haven’t been forgotten! There’s actually a really great deal going on at the Microsoft Store starting on 11/24 for the </span><span>Lumia</span><span> 635:</span></p>
<p><a href="http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/cat/black-friday-deals/categoryID.67001100?icid=HomePage_TopStripe_BF_11914" rel="nofollow"><strong>Lumia 635:</strong></a><span> $39</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Aaaaaaand</em> that about wraps it up. There are a ton of deals still out there that have yet to surface. I’m still keeping my eye out for any discounts on the Nexus 5, Nexus 6, and anything Sony related - but until then, these are some of the great deals you can expect to see after Thanksgiving this year! </p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog-prod-ref field-type-node-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/products/lg-g3">LG G3</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/products/samsung-galaxy-s5">Samsung Galaxy S5</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/products/samsung-galaxy-note-3">Samsung Galaxy Note 3</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/products/apple-iphone-6">Apple iPhone 6</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/products/apple-iphone-5s">Apple iPhone 5s</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/products/motorola-moto-g-2nd-gen-black">Motorola Moto G (2nd Gen.) Black</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/products/blackberry-passport">BlackBerry Passport</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/products/blackberry-z30">BlackBerry Z30</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/products/lg-optimus-dynamic-ii">LG Optimus Dynamic II</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/products/kyocera-hydro-vibe">Kyocera Hydro Vibe</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/products/lg-volt">LG Volt</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/products/htc-desire-510">HTC Desire 510</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog-com-ref field-type-node-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/manufacturers/samsung/products">Samsung</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/manufacturers/lg/products">LG</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/manufacturers/apple/products">Apple</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/manufacturers/blackberry/products">BlackBerry</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/manufacturers/motorola/products">Motorola</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/manufacturers/kyocera/products">Kyocera</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/manufacturers/htc/products">HTC</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/manufacturers/microsoft/products">Microsoft</a></div></div></div>Mon, 24 Nov 2014 00:33:28 +0000Anna Scantlin55576 at https://www.phonedog.comhttps://www.phonedog.com/2014/11/23/2014-black-friday-smartphone-sales-guide#commentsBlackBerry ‘Rio’: There’s still hope for BlackBerry yethttps://www.phonedog.com/2014/11/22/blackberry-rio-there-s-still-hope-blackberry-yet
<div class="field field-name-field-blog-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img src="https://www.phonedog.com/sites/phonedog.com/files/styles/blog_entry/public/blog/main_image/2014/11/blackberrypassport3.jpg?itok=v8Kx-4qK" width="728" height="546" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>It’s been a bumpy ride for BlackBerry for the past few years now. A steady decline in demand for the classic BlackBerry OS sparked the need for a revamp, which is what eventually created modern day BlackBerry 10. With BlackBerry 10 came BlackBerry’s first real attempt at playing catch up with the rest of the smartphone world as the company tried to combine business and personal into one appealing line, but found that such a task was much easier said than done. BlackBerry has yet to give up all hope at redemption in the mobile industry, and while 2013 and 2014 haven’t exactly been kind to BlackBerry, all hope is not lost.</p>
<p><span>BlackBerry has recently started gaining some popularity ground with the </span><a href="/products/blackberry-passport">BlackBerry Passport</a><span>, a somewhat classic-looking BlackBerry device with a modern twist: you have the traditional physical QWERTY keyboard, but the keyboard also responds to touch. The keyboard is the best of both worlds. The Passport is also quite a powerful device spec-wise, and since BlackBerry 10.3 also brought along the Amazon </span>Appstore<span>, there’s a lot more to choose from app-wise these days then when BlackBerry 10 was first introduced.</span></p>
<p><span>However, while the Passport might be a great potential device for people who still have an interest in physical QWERTY keyboards (a rarity with today’s smartphones), BlackBerry has yet to come out with any 2014 successors to the slab-style, all </span><span>touchscreen</span><span> device. In 2013 we were </span><a href="/products/blackberry-z10">introduced to the Z10</a><span> and the larger, </span><a href="/products/blackberry-z30">phablet-sized Z30</a><span>. This year, we haven’t seen anything of the sort, and we likely won’t see anything like it until next year according to recent rumors.</span></p>
<p><span>A vague report over at </span><span>N4BB</span><span> suggests that BlackBerry is working on a high end all-touch device set to release sometime in 2015; however, the report really is <em>that</em> vague. There’s no real indication that BlackBerry is, in fact, working on any such device. We were granted a </span>code name<span> though: ‘Rio’.</span></p>
<p><span>I’ve bounced back and forth on whether I thought BlackBerry would or wouldn’t succeed. At first I had high hopes for BlackBerry and BlackBerry 10, but after several months (which eventually turned into over a year) of waiting for a broader app ecosystem I couldn’t be sure whether BlackBerry would ever be able to reclaim its former glory. With the recent release of the Passport gaining traction with more than just the immediate BlackBerry community, I’m starting to see a glimmer of hope again.</span></p>
<p><span>But I do think that BlackBerry needs to offer some sort of modern all-touch phone in order to keep progressing forward. I feel that adding an all-touch device to their line-up is just as important as keeping the traditional physical QWERTY phones. BlackBerry needs to do more than just keep their current user base; they need to grow, and in order to appeal to the younger generation of smartphone users they’re going to need to think more modernly.</span></p>
<p><span>You need two things to appeal to the modern generation of smartphone users: mainstream apps and a nice slab design. Most don’t want the physical keyboard - that’s before their time. They want something that looks like what everybody else is using. Hopefully the ‘Rio’ is, in fact, a real thing, because the idea of an all-touch device combined with the changes that were brought with the 10.3 update could potentially work out very well for BlackBerry.</span></p>
<p><span>I understand that BlackBerry’s main purpose is to appeal to business users for the time being, but in order to thrive I think it’s important for BlackBerry to realize that they’re going to have to extend their reach to the younger generation in order to show that BlackBerry devices can serve well as business and personal phones. This younger generation wants to play now, but as they get older and start growing up they’ll be able to take advantage of BlackBerry’s secure business services.</span></p>
<p><span>With the Amazon Appstore in place, BlackBerry is sort of getting the hang of things. Here’s hoping that the ‘Rio’ is a real phone in the works - I think BlackBerry 10 could really use it.</span></p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog-prod-ref field-type-node-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/products/blackberry-z10">BlackBerry Z10</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/products/blackberry-q10">BlackBerry Q10</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/products/blackberry-passport">BlackBerry Passport</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/products/blackberry-z30">BlackBerry Z30</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog-com-ref field-type-node-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/manufacturers/blackberry/products">BlackBerry</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/manufacturers/amazon/products">Amazon</a></div></div></div>Sun, 23 Nov 2014 03:45:21 +0000Anna Scantlin55570 at https://www.phonedog.comhttps://www.phonedog.com/2014/11/22/blackberry-rio-there-s-still-hope-blackberry-yet#commentsCan Nokia make a comeback using Android?https://www.phonedog.com/2014/11/22/can-nokia-make-comeback-using-android
<div class="field field-name-field-blog-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img src="https://www.phonedog.com/sites/phonedog.com/files/styles/blog_entry/public/blog/main_image/2014/11/nokian1tablet.jpg?itok=OZu-qs5J" width="728" height="417" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>Nokia has been a <em>massive</em> name in the mobile industry for a very long time. In a time before smartphones, and even feature phones, the Nokia “brick” design was one of the most popular designs on the market. Over the years, Nokia continued to prove their worth by creating solid, reliable phones - cell phones, feature phones, and even smartphones. It was only recently that Nokia has had to shy away from the market once they sold their mobile division to Microsoft. This sale prevented Nokia (which is still in business under “Nokia Technologies”) from selling smartphones, or even using the Nokia name on smartphones for an exclusive period of time.</p>
<p><span>But while smartphones might be out of the picture for the time being for Nokia, that’s not stopping them from making other gadgets. In fact, </span><a href="/2014/11/18/nokia-n1-is-an-android-5-0-tablet-with-a-7-9-inch-display-249-price-tag">Nokia launched a new Android tablet</a><span>, dubbed the ‘N1’ tablet, earlier this week. Nokia president Ramzi Haidamus claims that the N1 tablet is just as good as the iPad Mini, but comes at a much cheaper price. Specs include a 7.9-inch, 2048x1536 display; a quad core 64-bit Intel Atom Z3580 processor at 2.3GHz; 2GB of RAM; 32GB of internal storage; 8-megapixel rear-facing camera; and 5-megapixel front-facing camera. The tablet also runs on Android 5.0 (Lollipop). The N1’s starting price is $250 - it’s really not a bad deal at all.</span></p>
<p><span>Much like other Android manufacturers, Nokia’s new tablet will run on its own “version” of Android by using the </span><a href="https://www.zlauncher.com/" rel="nofollow">Nokia Z Launcher</a><span> skin. It would be similar to Samsung’s TouchWiz or HTC’s Sense. Z Launcher’s main focus is learning how “you” operate and adapting to what you use most often on a daily basis. To find an app, you just “scribble” (or draw) the first letter of the app you want to open, select the app, and if you use that app often then Z Launcher will create a shortcut for you.</span></p>
<p><span>The N1 shows that Nokia is serious about entering the Android market, and when Nokia is eventually allowed to make smartphones again (sometime in 2016), I wonder if the company will be able to make as big of an impression on the Android side of the market as it did with the Windows Phone market. After all, Android is much more saturated with many more manufacturers than Windows Phone was, and Nokia would be entering the game pretty late.</span></p>
<p><span>I think the fact that Nokia is already a well-established brand in the mobile industry gives them a leg up, even among the stiff Android competition. One of the things that Nokia phones were/are most notable for is for their solidly built smartphones, which is something that many manufacturers have been straying from in order to </span><a href="/2014/11/02/thanks-for-the-slim-phone-samsung-but-nobody-cares-about-that-anymore">create the thinnest or lightest phone</a><span> on the market instead of something that can somewhat take a beating. Add that in with the fact that Nokia-made Android devices have been something that many people have been hoping for for a long time, and although the Nokia X phone was a Nokia-made Android smartphone, it still had a strong Windows Phone influence and, using a forked version of Android, didn’t even include Google Apps. One would have to root the phone to gain access to Google Apps, which not everybody wants to do.</span></p>
<p><span>If Nokia’s plan is to make every device like their N1 (that is, comparable to a more popular model yet cheaper) then I think they have a pretty big chance at succeeding with Android. I would love to see what Nokia has in store in the coming years in regards to expanding their Android lineup. Their Windows Phone line was arguably more developed than other manufacturers were able to offer; I wonder what magic they can bring to Android.</span></p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog-prod-ref field-type-node-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/products/nokia-n1">Nokia N1</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/products/apple-ipad-mini">Apple iPad Mini</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog-com-ref field-type-node-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/manufacturers/nokia/products">Nokia</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/manufacturers/microsoft/products">Microsoft</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/manufacturers/apple/products">Apple</a></div></div></div>Sun, 23 Nov 2014 01:20:47 +0000Anna Scantlin55569 at https://www.phonedog.comhttps://www.phonedog.com/2014/11/22/can-nokia-make-comeback-using-android#commentsApple drops the patent troll act, so what does that mean for us?https://www.phonedog.com/2014/11/21/apple-drops-patent-troll-act-so-what-does-mean-us
<div class="field field-name-field-blog-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img src="https://www.phonedog.com/sites/phonedog.com/files/styles/blog_entry/public/blog/main_image/2014/11/googleapple.jpg?itok=uRgxW7ME" width="728" height="451.5" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>Mmm, autumn; the leaves turn to warmer colors, the air grows cooler, and the apples are ripe for picking - even in the tech industry, you won’t find a sour Apple around here, as it seems that the Cupertino tech giant has decided to sweeten its demeanor and end patent trolling once and for all. Allegedly, the whole “Apple vs. Google” thing won’t come down to hundreds of patent lawsuits anymore, as <a href="https://gigaom.com/2014/11/20/apple-ends-patent-war-on-android-deal-suggests/" rel="nofollow">Apple plans to disband the patent troll group “Rockstar”</a> (although Apple is not the only member of Rockstar, it is, in a way, the “leader” with the most shares).</p>
<p><span>You’ve probably been aware of the patent lawsuits in some way, shape, or form over the past few years. Media outlets were all over it, especially in regards to the “Apple vs. Samsung” lawsuits. The amount of "Apple vs. </span><em>Somebody</em><span>" lawsuit news articles in our own </span>PhoneDog<span> archives are </span><a href="/2012/11/05/apple-patent-lawsuit-against-motorola-dismissed-by-judge">plentiful</a><span> to </span><a href="/2013/05/14/apple-wants-galaxy-s-4-added-to-samsung-patent-infringement-suit">say the least</a><span>. As for the lawsuits themselves, they usually boiled down to a defiant foot stomp followed by, “They copied us and that’s not fair.” In a way, it felt like anybody who started these lawsuits had a right to; after all, copying is just rude. On the other hand, this is the tech industry. Copying almost seems necessary in order to move forward. The late Steve Jobs himself once said, and I quote:</span></p>
<blockquote><p>“Good artists copy; great artists steal.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p><span>Of course, in </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Jobs_%28book%29" rel="nofollow">Walter Isaacson’s biography of Steve Jobs</a><span>, the Apple co-founder was also quoted saying, “I'm willing to go thermonuclear war on this," in regards to an Apple lawsuit against Android handset maker HTC - but ultimately aimed at Google’s Android in general - due to the fact that Android had surpassed the iPhone’s popularity at that point. Apparently, copying and stealing are only okay if it’s Apple doing the dirty work. Or at least, it was.</span></p>
<p><span>It’s been pointed out that this change of heart might be largely in part </span><em>because</em><span> of the shift of Apple’s leadership. With Tim Cook now serving as Apple’s CEO following Jobs’ passing in late 2011, it would seem that Apple as a whole has taken to much calmer seas since the leadership change. Jobs, who was known for his hot temper and fiery ambition, was hot on the lawsuit button. Cook, on the other hand, seems much more mild-mannered and more focused on making sure that Apple doesn’t lose everything it has worked for over the past several years - which Jobs was also quoted in saying he would gladly throw away in the name of justice against Google. I’ll admit, in general it seems like Apple has become much quieter over the past couple of years (except, of course, when there’s a new product launch). It does seem to paint the company in a more humble light.</span></p>
<p><span>If the patent troll group </span><span>Rockstar</span><span> is officially disbanded, I think that it would do Apple some good overall - especially because it also means good news for consumers as well.</span></p>
<p><span>Even if you haven’t been paying attention to the lawsuits over the years, you’ve likely been affected. You might have pre-ordered a device that you’ve been dying to get your hands on, just to find out at the last minute that it’s actually being held hostage over some unsettled patent lawsuits. Affecting a much larger amount of people is the fact that these lawsuits, which can cost billions of dollars, inevitably ends up coming out of the pockets of consumers.</span></p>
<p><span>Probably most importantly, though, patent lawsuits prevented manufacturers from focusing on what’s </span><em>really</em><span> important in this industry: innovation. When everybody is too busy pointing fingers at one another, nobody is taking the time to actually create the next best thing. They’re all too focused on the </span><em>last</em><span> best thing, and who ripped off who. It was slowing progress down.</span></p>
<p><span>While patent lawsuits will continue to exist, the end of </span><span>Rockstar</span><span> hopefully means that they won’t be nearly as dramatic or unnecessary. There are certainly cases that exist where patent lawsuits are justifiable, but many of the suits that were popping up out of nowhere had very little grounds to start off with. Dropping </span>Rockstar<span> will (hopefully) allow all manufacturers affected by these dramatic banters focus on what’s really important in this industry: bringing back the innovation.</span></p>
<p><span>So, thanks Apple. Apparently, the sun </span><em>can</em><span> shine on </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mordor" rel="nofollow">Mordor</a><span>. </span></p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog-com-ref field-type-node-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/manufacturers/apple/products">Apple</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/manufacturers/google/products">Google</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/manufacturers/samsung/products">Samsung</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/manufacturers/htc/products">HTC</a></div></div></div>Sat, 22 Nov 2014 03:25:27 +0000Anna Scantlin55563 at https://www.phonedog.comhttps://www.phonedog.com/2014/11/21/apple-drops-patent-troll-act-so-what-does-mean-us#commentsIt’s the end of the year: Do you plan on switching platforms?https://www.phonedog.com/2014/11/21/it-s-end-year-do-you-plan-switching-platforms
<div class="field field-name-field-blog-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img src="https://www.phonedog.com/sites/phonedog.com/files/styles/blog_entry/public/blog/main_image/2014/11/blackberry-passport1.jpg?itok=q3nEc8Ga" width="728" height="410" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>We are nearing the end of 2014, which means that at this point we’re able to see pretty much everything that there is to offer in terms of new smartphones this year. We’ve had a pretty exciting line-up, anywhere from the oddly shaped <a href="/products/lg-g-flex">LG G Flex</a> to the surprisingly popular <a href="/products/blackberry-passport">BlackBerry Passport</a>, and of course everything in between. There have been a lot of great releases this year from all four major platforms, and with holiday sales ramping up now that Thanksgiving is just around the corner, it’s not a bad time to start looking at switching platforms.</p>
<p>Switching platforms can be both daunting and exciting. On the one hand, maybe you’re bored with your current platform. It might do everything you want it to do, but you just have this itch that you need to scratch, and only a fresh start with a new mobile OS can fix that. It’s understandable, and it’s something I go through quite often myself. On the other hand, what if you end up hating the new OS that you switch to? Maybe your friend Mikey told you, an Android user, that iOS is the <em>best platform ever</em> and you can’t <em>not</em> love it - but as it turns out, iOS wasn’t your cup of tea. Then you potentially wasted all of that money for nothing.</p>
<p>I’m kind of a serial platform switcher. I’ve used each of the four major platforms for at least a few months each this year. I started out with Windows Phone, then switched back to Android, moved over to iOS, and then <a href="/2014/09/25/hi-ho-hi-ho-it-s-back-to-blackberry-i-go">tried my hand at BlackBerry 10</a>. These days, I’ve pretty much been sticking it out with iOS (on an iPhone 4S, which still runs decently enough) until I can figure out what exactly it is I want to use for the next few months.</p>
<p>Fortunately, I can say that as daunting as switching platforms might be, I can look back on my experiences with more positive outlooks than negative. Even if a platform wasn’t exactly my cup of tea, there was always something good to say about them. With Android, the endless customization options are great; iOS has always been stable and the apps are plentiful; Windows Phone probably has my favorite OS design and “flow” out of any platform; and BlackBerry still has a comfortable, familiar feeling when I use the phone (and the ability to sideload Android apps - and now directly download some of them through the Amazon App Store - is a huge bonus). I never feel like I’ve wasted money on a phone, even if I didn’t fall in love with the platform. It was always a new and exciting experience that I wanted and needed.</p>
<p>But I’ve been involved in this business for a few years now, so perhaps there’s nothing terribly new or exciting for me to discover other than new features or designs when companies update them. Somebody who hasn’t been invested in smartphones for so long will probably find a platform switch even more beneficial at this point. Looking back, if I had continued on my path of being all “<em>Bah, humbug,</em>” about iOS (since I was a Sprint customer for so many years and never had the opportunity to use an iPhone until 2011) then I wouldn’t have discovered how much I actually liked iOS. In fact, the <a href="/products/apple-iphone-4s">Apple iPhone 4S</a> is still the phone that I’ve used for the longest amount of time, both consecutively and overall. I mean, I’m using the phone right now. That wouldn’t have happened if I never decided to take the plunge and try the new platform. It’s one of my top ranked phone experiences ever.</p>
<p>I think the end of the year is probably the best time to look at switching platforms if that’s been an interest of yours. You have an entire year’s line-up to choose from, and you won’t be surprised by any “special edition” releases later on in the year. You also have the added benefit of catching a ton of sales and promotions going on for the holiday season, so even if you did end up thinking that a switch was a total waste of money, it isn’t as big of a waste as it potentially could have been, right?</p>
<p>With that in mind, we want to hear from you, readers: Do you plan on switching platforms before the end of the year? If so, which platform do you want to switch to and which phone are you hoping to get? Let us know in the comments below!</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog-prod-ref field-type-node-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/products/apple-iphone-4s">Apple iPhone 4S</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/products/blackberry-passport">BlackBerry Passport</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/products/lg-g-flex">LG G Flex</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog-com-ref field-type-node-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/manufacturers/apple/products">Apple</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/manufacturers/lg/products">LG</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/manufacturers/blackberry/products">BlackBerry</a></div></div></div>Fri, 21 Nov 2014 20:15:26 +0000Anna Scantlin55557 at https://www.phonedog.comhttps://www.phonedog.com/2014/11/21/it-s-end-year-do-you-plan-switching-platforms#comments